US sees likely al Qaeda WMD attack within 2 years

Reuters ^ | 06-09-03

[Brian S]

UNITED NATIONS, June 9 (Reuters) - The United States sees a high probability the clandestine al Qaeda network will try to launch a chemical, biological or nuclear attack within two years, the U.S. government said in a report made public on Monday.

"Al Qaeda will continue to favor spectacular attacks but also may seek softer targets of opportunity such as banks, shopping malls, supermarkets and places of recreation and entertainment," the United States told the United Nations in the report.

"Al Qaeda will continue its efforts to acquire and develop biological, chemical, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) weapons. We judge that there is a high probability that al Qaeda will attempt an attack using a CBRN weapon within the next two years," said the report.

The report, prepared before last month's triple suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia which killed 35 people, did not say whether it thought such an attack would take place inside the United States or elsewhere.

Dated April 17 but just released by the world body, the report was prepared in response to a U.N. Security Council resolution requiring the 191 U.N. member-nations to crack down on al Qaeda -- by, for example, freezing its assets and tracking its agents -- for its role in Afghanistan leading up to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The group led by Osama bin Laden is blamed by Washington for the suicide hijack attacks, which killed thousands in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

Washington said al Qaeda remained the "top concern" of U.S. law enforcement authorities.

There were hundreds of ongoing counter-terrorism investigations in the United States directly associated with the group, most of them on the East and West coasts and in the U.S. Southwest, it said.

But the greatest threat to U.S. security was possible "sleeper cells" that have not been identified or detected, it said. "Identifying and neutralizing these sleeper cells remains our most serious intelligence and law enforcement challenge," the report said.

[robjna]

Long flippin time to spend in the shower

[areafiftyone]

I think we have been hearing this for about a year now!

[LarryM]

This is why the Bush Administration is trying to buy off every terrorist on the planet. Georgie Porgie doesn't want a terrorist attack before Novermber 2004.

[Apple_Hills]

*****yawn*****

[Mr. Bird]

But after the election he'd be ok with it?

[1stFreedom]

Time to roll on:

North Korea
Iran
Pakistan (Yes, Pakistan)
Egypt
Saudi

[xrp]

hmm, replace "buy" with "kill" and I think your statement will hold more credibility.

Mecca 2006?

[brownsfan]

You forgot Syria and France.

[xJones]

"Al Qaeda will continue its efforts to acquire and develop biological, chemical, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) weapons

They won't be getting any WMD from Iraq, we haven't been able to find any there, and that was supposed to be the mother of all WMD headquarters.

[1stFreedom]

It was. Problem was that it was tied up so long at the UN all the weapons are burried and stashed in Syria.

Think about it, if the local DA was arguing for weeks in a court for a search warrant on a drug dealer, do you think the dealer will leave them where they are?

[onedoug]

Ending -crushing, if necessary - state sponsorship of terror will go a long way toward precluding such attacks. If we "tire, falter or fail", we all but guarantee them.

[El Gato]

all the weapons are burried and stashed in Syria

Or worse, given to that Al Qaeda affilliat in Iraq and then moved to Iran or some other nest of these vipers.

[Tacis]

FRance and Syria? Hell, the bad guys are Cuba and Mexico! The terrorists and theeir WMD staged in Cuba and have been/will be moving to Mexico where Fox helps them move north and across the border. They spread out and position in target areas all across the US. Their problems now deal with communications and planning. Weak attacks against non-strategic US targets would do a lot of damage if conducted during next year's election campaign.

Outside the US, you can probably already write off the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Athens is not a secure city under the best of conditions. If Al Qaeda is looking for an easy place to start something, it is Athens. Are we prepared? The very first explosion in Athens and hundreds of FBI agaents are prepared to arrest Richard Jewell again.

[xJones]

Yes, but the world media has been having a field day with the missing Iraq WMD issue. Tony Blair has been badly attacked, and the German, and (of course) the French media have been taking pot shots.

You're right, though, while Hans Blix was fooling around - and long before that - Saddam had time to hide anything.

[Publius6961]

So wiping out Al Qaeda by whatever means necessary is no longer an option?

I suppose it all depends on what nation is the likely target.

[wayoverontheright]

US sees likely al Qaeda WMD attack within 2 years

To what end? There are already indications that al-Qaeda has given up its original goal of actually defeating the US through its attack on our economy. The window of opportunity for maximum impact has already passed them by, and the wrath of the Great Satan has inflicted pain to the whole region which exceeds any posssible gain they might derive.

Is this the same intelligence outfit which is now 0 for forever in predicting terror events?

[shaggy eel]

You forgot Syria and France.

,,, let's all forget France.

[shaggy eel]

,,, this is sourced from the UN and reported by Reuters. Need I say more?

[Defiant]

The dems think they can make some hay with a new al-qaida attack. (They will all be "deeply saddened"). I think the country would rally around Bush, who has insisted all along that they are dangerous, and his approval will go up 10 points. People know we are safer with Bush than a pretend safety hawk.